Nearby Theaters

This was the first drive-in built in San Antonio and opened as the Drive-In. By 1955 it had been renamed Fredericksburg Road Drive-In and was operated by Underwood & Ezell. When it opened the back of the screen faced the road and it had a large mural of an actress painted on it. Later a clown replaced the actress and then an abstract painting replaced the clown. The Fredericksburg Drive-In had a long life lasting until 1982.

The site is now a shopping center and an apartment complex. The old roadside marquee is now used to list the shops in the shopping center. It had a 552 car capacity.

The original name, “The Drive-In”, for this theatre, was changed when The Alamo Drive-In opened a couple of years later to “Fredericksburg Rd. Drive-In.” At that time, it was the only drive-in right on the outskirts of San Antonio at the time, so they just named it with a basic name. This theatre also featured some X-rated movies around its end, along with the Lackland DI.

The “Fred. Road”, as it was usually called opened in 1940. This was before the advent of in car speakers. The lot had speakers under grates. One would park over the grate and the sound would come up through the floorboard! When the In Car Speaker made it’s debut in 1946, the Fred. Road was finally outfitted with this revolutionary development. The original manager of the Fred. Road lived on the property and stayed on the job until his death in the mid 70s! His wife stayed on as assistant manager, and lived on the property until her death a few years later.